


Love Me

by strawberrylovely



Series: Heal Me [2]
Category: Shance - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Shiro (Voltron) is a Good Boyfriend, Shiro’s Perspective, shance, to make up for the angst the first part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-10 23:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13512390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrylovely/pseuds/strawberrylovely
Summary: Shiro sees Lance’s scars and they talk about it.Or, Shiro helps Lance feel loved.





	Love Me

**Author's Note:**

> this is basically just fluff, but there is some talk of lance’s scars so just fyi
> 
> you don’t have to read the first part to read this one (especially if you get triggered easily), though it may give some insight as to what all is going on since the first part is referenced.

"Yeah!"

Lance pumped his fist in the air, excited about the new mission assignments. That's when Shiro noticed. It was only a glimpse, since Lance hastily lowered his arm and pulled on his sleeve, but Shiro still saw it.

Etched into the skin, a self inflicted wound had healed over, leaving a striking red scar shaped into the letters of a word.

_USELESS_

Shiro wasn't sure how to feel. Sad? Worried? Angry? Protective?

Guilty?

Shiro knew scars, knew how they healed. Lance’s couldn’t have been but a few months old. Most likely from around the time the two of them had gotten together. How had he not noticed it sooner?

Lance had always had self confidence issues, Shiro was aware of that. He’d slowly been trying to help Lance take compliments better and believe the good things said about him. But he hadn’t known Lance felt... useless.

If Shiro had made him feel like that in any way—

He needed to make it right.

 

Later that evening, Shiro found Lance walking out of the showers, dressed in his pajamas and drying his hair with a towel.

“Hey, handsome,” the boy said when he spotted Shiro walking towards him.

“Hey, yourself.”

“What are you doing around these parts?” Lance teased after giving Shiro a quick peck on the lips. “I thought you showered earlier.”

“I did, but I knew you’d be here and I wanted to walk you to your room.”

“Oh?”

Lance wiggled his eyebrows and lifted a shoulder suggestively, causing the older boy to smile as he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Maybe another time,” Shiro answered Lance’s unasked question. “I just wanted to talk with you, is all.”

“Uh, oh. That sounds serious.”

As they came upon Lance’s room, Lance opened the door and walked inside, setting aside his towel and waiting for Shiro to follow him in and the door to shut behind them to speak again.

“Tell it to me straight — are you breaking up with me?”

“What? No, kitten,” Shiro said. He walked up to Lance and brought his hands down the brunet’s arms slowly, only to curl their fingers together when he reached the end. “Of course not. I just... I saw something. And I wanted to talk to you about it, but only if you’re okay with it.”

Lance’s eyes blew wide and he looked worried. “I-I don’t do that in the shower anymore,” he said. “I was just washing myself, I promise.”

Shiro laughed quietly at his boyfriend’s misunderstanding and he kissed his temple lovingly.

“I’m not talking about that, although I am glad to know you don’t. Or, at least, that you _stopped_ ,” he said with a raised eyebrow, causing Lance’s cheeks to flush slightly. “What I mean is... I saw your arm.”

Shiro expected Lance to play it off, act like he didn’t know what Shiro was talking about. But instead, the boy’s face dropped and the color drained from his cheeks as quick as it came. He didn’t try to deny it, but rather became unable to phonate his response. His lips parted, as if he was about to say something, but his mouth quickly closed again when it didn’t come out.

“Lance?”

“D-Don’t you know you’re not supposed to ask about that sort of thing?” he finally said as he looked away from Shiro, breathing out an uncomfortable laugh.

“I know,” Shiro said, “and I’m not asking when or how or even why. I just wanted to tell you that if you’re still feeling like that, and if I, in any way, made you feel like that, that I’m sorry and I intend to make it right. You’re so important to this team and to me. I’d hate to think what would happen without you.”

Shiro placed a hand on Lance’s cheek, making him look up again. He kissed the boy gently, emphasizing his words the best way he knew how.

“Thank you,” Lance said when they pulled away. “And no, it doesn’t have anything to do with you. I’m sorry to make you worry. I... It’s been months since- Um. I threw away anything that I could use and I intend to stop altogether.”

“I can’t imagine how hard that must have been. I’m sure it’s not easy.”

Shiro tucked a lock of Lance’s damp hair behind his ear and the younger boy leaned into the touch, comforted by Shiro’s presence.

“It’s not. Years of doing it have made it so. But after what I put Hunk through, it hit me that it needed to end. He’s been so helpful and caring, I owe him that much,” Lance said. “It’s a constant struggle, not having it to fall back to, but the urges are getting easier to overcome. Plus, I’m not alone as often anymore, which is helping.”

“I’m so proud of you. Gosh, you are so strong. My amazing and strong boyfriend,” Shiro encouraged.

Lance smiled, but looked down again as he laughed off the compliment. Shiro knew Lance was probably telling himself otherwise, but the man wasn’t able to get onto him for it before he spoke again.

“You help,” Lance said quietly.

“Me?”

“Yeah. Just by being around me you prove to me that I’m not alone. It’s easier to convince myself when I know there’s someone within reach that cares about me like you do.”

“I really do. I care about you so much,” said Shiro. He wrapped his arms around Lance’s waist and leaned into him gently as he spoke, nuzzling into the younger boy’s chest to get ever closer. “I think you might actually be the most important person in my life,” he said.

“What? No way,” Lance said. “I’m sure you’ve got other people. Like Keith, or-“

“Would I do _this_ to Keith?”

The man tilted his head to pepper kisses across Lance’s cheeks and jaw, bringing out sweet laughter from the blue paladin.

“I sure hope not,” the boy smiled before bringing Shiro’s face up to connect their lips once again.

“I’m serious though,” Shiro said after a few minutes of lazy kissing. “I don’t know what I would do without you. If I help you, you certainly help me, too. It’s not easy being the leader, especially on the days when nightmares kept me up all night. But you help me relax and take things one day at a time, and I love you for it.”

“You what.”

“I- Oh. _Oh_ ,” Shiro said, pulling back to look at Lance. “I hope it’s not too early to say that. I didn’t mean t- I mean, I _do_ love you, but I don’t want you to feel obligated to say it back. Agh, sorry if that’s-“ 

“I love you, too,” Lance said, putting his boyfriend at ease.

Shiro gaped wide-eyed at the man before him and a big smile spread across his face.

“Really?” he asked.

“Yes, really! I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”

“Wow.”

“What?” Lance laughed.

“You love me and you’re so beautiful and I’m the luckiest guy in the entire galaxy,” Shiro said.

“Well, I don’t know about-“

“Shh, none of that.” Shiro cut Lance off with a hand on his cheek, knowing he was going to say something self deprecating. “You _are_ beautiful and I _really am_ so lucky to call you mine. Even if you don’t believe it yet, you will one day.”

“I hope so.”

“I _know_ so.”

Shiro pulled Lance into a hug and held him tight as the boy’s arms made their way around his back in return. They stayed there for a while, Shiro dragging his fingers along Lance’s back soothingly before pressing a kiss to his neck. Then another to his cheek, then his forehead.

“Mm, I love you so much!” Shiro said as he began kissing around Lance’s face and eventually his lips over and over, following every word with another peck.

“Shiro!” Lance laughed, playfully trying to escape the man’s attack.

“Alright, alright,” Shiro finally relented with one last kiss. “Just... Will you promise you’ll tell me if you start feeling that way again? If the urge gets too strong? And even before that, if you start feeling bad again.”

“I promise.”

Shiro brought his hand around his back to grab Lance’s arm and placed it in front of them. “May I?” he asked, and with a uneasy nod of consent, pulled up Lance’s sleeve to reveal the old scar.

And there it was. As plainly as Shiro had seen it the first time. Only now he was able to really look.

Except he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to observe or stare it down, especially since Lance was trying his best to look everywhere else. No, instead, he brought the arm up to his face and pressed his lips against the first letter.

Lance’s breath hitched and suddenly Shiro wasn’t sure if kissing Lance’s scar was appropriate. But the boy made no move to stop him, so he pressed another kiss to the second letter. When he got to the end of the word, he stayed an extra second to finalize his actions and then leaned back up to look at Lance.

The brunet was staring at him with tears streaming down his face.

“Oh, honey,” Shiro said, wiping Lance’s tears with his thumb. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“Thank you,” Lance said quietly.

“I- Of course.” Shiro pulled Lance into another hug and let the boy cry on his shoulder. “I just wanted to prove that I love you. All of you.”

Lance nodded his head into Shiro’s shoulder and sniffled in response.

“Why don’t we go to bed, huh?” Shiro said.

“Mhm.”

He kissed the side of Lance’s head and started to move away when a hand reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt.

“Don’t go,” Lance said through his tears. He smiled as best as he could and Shiro took the hand from his shirt into his own and held it close.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, love.”

They got into Lance’s bed and snuggled close under the covers. Shiro drew big circles into Lance’s back until the younger man fell asleep pressed against his chest.

He knew he couldn’t always protect Lance, even from himself. But as long as he was around, Shiro would do his best to help Lance feel needed and loved, no matter how long it took for him to believe it.

**Author's Note:**

> hope y’all enjoyed these two little fics. sorry about the first part, but i hope this one makes up for it <3
> 
> If you like this fic, please leave a comment telling me what you think and maybe consider buying me a [coffee!](http://ko-fi.com/natdashg) Thanks!


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